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The 12 biggest differences between Travel Baseball and College Baseball

Disclaimer: I know this article will offend some people, and they will feel like they are “guilty by association” through travel baseball. The content of this article certainly does not apply to all players, parents and coaches in travel baseball. However, based on my opinion, and my experiences over the last 14 years of being involved in travel baseball, it applies to too many in travel baseball. The overall purpose of this article expose those areas in which many players are not being properly prepared for the next level. This article is meant to inspire travel ball players, parents and coaches to focus on preparing themselves for the next level during their travel ball experience.To set the stage, let’s start with a real live text exchange between me and one of our former players, wh...

State Director/Ambassador Opportunity - "Do What You Love"

One of the goals for our program has always been to create opportunities for people who have caught the vision for what US Elite is all about. Obviously, we have done that for our players by developing them properly, and then providing exposure for them, and helping them move on to the next level of their career. The State Director/Ambassador is a career opportunity for adults who want to make baseball their full time occupation”.The new position within the company known as State Director/Ambassador. The position is for individuals who would like to own the non- exclusive rights to US Elite Baseball in their state. Responsibilities of the position include recruiting and hiring new US Elite coaches, who will, in turn, form new US Elite teams. Additional responsibilities include overseei...

The Road Less Traveled: Zack Helsel

Zack Helsel’s Road Less Traveled Story as told by Mark Helsel.Zack Helsel has had a challenging path throughout his entire baseball career. He was part of the uber talented 2015 grad year class at US Elite that had superstars like Kyle Datres (UNC/Rockies), Travis Blankenhorn (Twins), Brett Kinneman (NC State/Pirates) and Niko Hulsizer (Morehead State/Dodgers). While those players got the well deserved attention and accolades, Zack was the classic late bloomer. As a sophomore in high school he was 5’10’/145. As a high school outfielder, he wasn’t fast enough, nor did he hit for average or power to get any looks from D1 coaches. As a RHP he was well below D1 standards (75-76 mph). He was noticeably behind the talented players in his class. Then, he fell even further behind.In the first t...

A letter from the parents of Logan Hile, former US Elite Player

Note: The following letter was sent to US Elite unsolicited. With the permission of the Hiles, we are making it public. Why? Because this is the perspective of the travel baseball journey aspire for all of our families.March 24, 2019Dear Mark:The purpose of this letter is to update you regarding Logan’s current situation and his future endeavors. We are delighted to tell you that Logan will be attending Bloomsburg University this fall and will be playing baseball for the Huskies. We are thankful, relieved, and extremely happy that Logan will get the opportunity to not only further his education at Bloomsburg University, but to also get the chance to play baseball for their program.It has been a very challenging three years for our family, but particularly for Logan. Logan was well on hi...

If You Give A Boy A Baseball

If you give a boy a baseball, he will want a bat to go with it.You’ll buy him the best bat you can find, and then he will probably want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats too.Then, he will probably spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with him, even though you may want to sit on the couch and watch tv. He will insist. And his insistence will win.And when a boy gets a jersey, he will need pants and socks and a belt to go with it. And a TEAM…And then life as you know it will end.There will be no more lazy weekends watching tv. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible. Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling buckets and bags and stinky cleats and crazy boys all over tarnation for hours to practice for a game.THE GAME.And your house...